Peterborough Sports striker believes his side will revel in their underdog status in historic FA Trophy tie

The Turbines had never previously got past the first round proper of the competition but travel to Oxford City for Saturday’s fifth round tie hoping to claim a second successive National League South scalp.

Jones scored the winner as Jimmy Dean’s side won 1-0 at Bath City three weeks ago and the pausing of the Pitching In Southern Premier League campaign means Sports have not played since.

Hosts Oxford are in a similar position, with the National League South also now suspended, and Jones believes his team are well-placed to spring another surprise.

“Beating Bath has given us real confidence,” Jones said. “We were definitely the better side in the first half and even though we understandably tired in the second, we still had the better chances.

“It was a really strong performance and if we get a result on Saturday it’d be two away wins against teams in the league above, which shows we can compete at that level.

“We tend to go on good cup runs at Peterborough Sports. It might be the underdog thing.

“We have a good side here and a great team spirit. It also depends on the other team, whether or not they write us off before the game has kicked off.”

The Turbines, along with Hornchurch of the Pitching In Isthmian League, are the only seventh-tier sides still playing football while the league campaign remains on hold and Jones admitted the FA Trophy run has provided a welcome boost to morale.

“The lads want to play football and the chance to keep playing is an extra incentive to go and win the game,” Jones added.

“They (Oxford) are not playing league games either now, which makes a bit more even, but they are in the league above for a reason. We are going into it as underdogs but it’s something we are all looking forward to.”

Sports go into the weekend knowing they are three wins from Wembley, a surreal prospect for a club who were in Division One of the United Counties League as recently as five years ago.

The club have won two promotions since Jones joined in the 2016/17 season and are now one of 228 Trident League clubs supported by a landmark partnership with Pitching In, a multi-million-pound grassroots sport investment programme established by Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain.

As well as financial support, the initiative focuses on the community aspect of non-league football, with Jones – an FA Trophy semi-finalist with Gainsborough Trinity in 2013 – hoping to give the Turbines family something to cheer from their homes on Saturday.

“If you look at our club and where we’ve come from compared to the teams still left in the competition, we are not thinking about Wembley,” Jones said..

“In these times, it’s just a privilege to be playing football. We know we have to take it one game at a time but we are all happy, we’re a tight unit and we’re confident.”

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. The programme includes a flagship partnership with The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues - collectively known as The Trident League, as well as a partnership with the UK sports charity SportsAid. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/